Horse Slaughter and the Big Picture

Horse Slaughter and the Big Picture

The following is my letter to horse activist Karin Hauenstein regarding
pending horse slaughter legislation in the US. I’m sharing this because my
response to her prompted me to raise some important questions about veganism
as a form of activism and the merit of single-issue campaigns in the larger
context of animal advocacy.

Hi Karin,

Yes, we’d be happy to do what we can to promote a ban on the slaughter of
American horses. If you have something you’ve already written, we’d be happy
to consider publishing it.

In exchange, I hope you will consider a few points, which I’ll mention
below, on the subject of being vegan. I applaud your efforts in embarking on
that course. Regrettably, it takes many of us, myself included, years of
inquiry to finally arrive at the conclusion that all sentient beings deserve
our respect.

Free from Harm is founded on the idea that if we really are serious about
helping animals, that is, if we really want to see a paradigm shift in the
status of animals, then we need to focus on the 99.9% of animals exploited
and killed unnecessarily — that is, the 60 billion land and 60 billion
aquatic animals annually killed (worldwide) for the sole purpose of pleasing
our palates.

If we fail to see the positive impact we can have by adopting a vegan
diet and lifestyle, we’ve just reduced our potential impact to less than 1%
of all animals that suffer at human hands.

I strongly believe that being vegan sends a consistent message to our
constituency, even when we are taking on a single issue, such as horses. And
this consistency pays off. Europeans who eat horse meat often criticize
American animal activists who still consume animal products. They make the
legitimate claim that such activists are still supporting the
commodification and killing of animals for food, so, they wonder, what makes
horses different? The same argument is made by the Japanese, who see
non-Japanese activists’ opposition to whale hunting as hypocritical, given
that these same activists have no problem eating animal products deemed
socially acceptable in their respective cultures.

My special interest is chickens. I’ve discovered that each individual
chicken is highly aware, sensitive, smart, socially sophisticated,
affectionate and seeking companionship with us. Yet, as a species, these
magnificent birds are the most exploited animal in our food system,
accounting for some 92% of all animals killed for their eggs and meat in the
US.

My form of advocating on behalf of chickens is
focused on rescuing individuals, telling their unique stories, and providing
the broader context by writing about the industries that commodify them. A
young hen I recently rescued is chronicled in my new four-minute video,
Angelica: The Thanksgiving Day Hen. All egg-laying hens — including those
whose eggs are labeled “cage-free,” “free-range” and “organic” — are
subjected to hideous cruelty. It’s not just an issue of how cruelly they are
raised, though. It’s also an issue of how their breeding dooms their health.
[See Egg Production Articles for details.]

I’m also concerned about fishes, since they are often the last animal we
stop eating when we become vegan. Like chickens, fishes are complex
creatures who are grossly misunderstood. So much so that their casualties
are counted by the ton, rather than the individual body. The documentary The
End of the Line provides a harrowing overview of the global depletion of our
oceans. We are literally fishing all the life out of our oceans. Many
experts conclude that in 30 years there will be no more wild-caught fish.

Of the many undercover investigations I have compiled from animal
advocacy sources around the world, one that shocked me most was the annual
traditional tuna kill in Sicily. You can see how these majestic fishes
experience excruciating pain when bludgeoned to death. This hideous
bloodbath would not exist if it were not for an industry that makes money on
their suffering. To add insult to injury, this disgusting cruelty ends up
being labeled “humane,” “sustainable,” and “harpoon-caught” at stores like
Whole Foods Market. If there was ever a false advertising claim to be made,
this would have to be it!

And this leads me to my last point, Karin. I support single-issue
campaigns, like yours, only insofar as they carry the message that all
animals are worthy of our respect. This is, unfortunately, not the case with
many single-issue campaigns, particularly the more high-profile ones from
organizations like HSUS, ASPCA, PETA, and even Greenpeace. In fact, it is
quite common to find all of them running campaigns that call for a ban on
the exploitation of some species, like whales, bears or seals, while running
other campaigns that promote “sustainable” and “happy” meat.

The cognitive dissonance that such conflicting campaigns creates does
more harm than good. These organizations end up perpetuating a speciesist
view that favors protection for some animals but exploitation — albeit a
kinder, gentler form of exploitation — for others. In 2012, ASPCA actually
rewarded a small poultry farm that slaughters chickens a grant of $150,000.
When so-called animal protection organizations fund animal slaughter, I
think it’s high time we evaluate how we have lost our way.

Please keep in touch, and let me know if I can answer further questions
or help you in any way as you continue on your own vegan journey.

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